5 stars (AP Stylebook) - This book was purchased for use in a college public relations office. I'm sure it will become one of the most helpful manuals we have!
5 stars (It delivers the goods) - The AP Stylebook is a great desk reference for corporate communicators. Rules and samples make using it easy.
3 stars (Woe is I!) - As a working writer writing all the time for other people, I am, alas, forced to write in the style of their chosen style guide. I do not like writing according to the AP Style guide.
My chief complaint is that the AP, which is now the preferred choice, it appears, is a bit drunk on its own power. They have always been a "aw relax, don't make such a big deal of it" kind of style guide, which I like, but now that they rule the roost, they do get rather twitchy and adamant about things that simply are not that important.
Case in point is the AP's approach to the comma, which can be summarized as such: use a comma if you really really really need it, and if you don't or can get away with not using it, then don't. This is most egregious in their discussion of the serial comma. I tend to prefer a rule. I like the serial comma. I like red, white, and blue and so does good old Strunk & White.
At the same time, the AP is nuts about hyphens! I think the AP goes overboard with hyphens. Email does not need a hyphen. Yes, electronic-mail address does, but email does not.
The whole do you spell out the number thing is just a mess!
And I am not so sure that they are as thoughtful on bias in language as they could be.
What is my point? Do I have one? Perhaps not. This is the preferred guide and reflects a kind of vanilla - fication of language. You do not need to follow all their rules, and you can create your own, if you like, too. That is what makes writing so fun! I recommend incorporating some quirks, such as the New Yorker's use of the umlaut in words such as cooperate. Make up a better rule for spelling out numbers and using ampersands. And go ahead and use postal codes instead of state abbreviations. |
